Things You Must Do: Perth

I’ve just returned from my month long trip to Australia.  It was wonderful!  I would say without a doubt it was the best holiday I’ve ever had.  It was in between semesters, so I didn’t have homework to worry about.  And I wasn’t working and I had no deadlines during January.  Since I had already completed all of the required Winter Terms, I was free to relax and not write learning journals or a travel journal or a response to anything!  I spent most of my time in Australia in Perth and Fremantle.  I fly to Canberra for a couple days to meet up with my parents, and then we flew back to Perth.

This is my list of things that you really should do if you’re ever in Perth or Fremantle.  If you go to one, you might as well go to the other since it’s a 45-minute train ride away and it might even be faster by bus!

*Looking at what I’ve written so far, I’m going to split up the posts by city so you aren’t bombarded with a huge post!*

Perth

Kings Park-If you are in Perth, go to Kings Park.  No ifs, ands, or buts, you just have to go!  It’s absolutely gorgeous.  The views of the city are amazing!  It’s a great place for picnics or to go and read.  There are trails all over, so you can go for a walk, run, push bike, the possibilities are endless.  There are also outdoor movies at Kings Park, so you can pack an eski and go see a movie.  I truly wish I had spent more time at Kings Park.  There’s also a great neighborhood around the park, especially if you want to see some beautiful apartments and condos.

Hay St. & Murray St.-This is targeted at the shopper.  Hay St. Mall and Murray St. Mall are great pedestrian malls.  Between these two streets you get Forrest Chase, a big outdoor mall, and places like London Court, a historic alley of shops.  You can truly satisfy every type of shopper between these two streets.  Whether you’re looking for tourist-y gifts, clothes, electronics, jewelry, Target, or rugby gear, they’ve got you covered.  Oh and body-piercing and tattoo parlors as well, just in case you’re looking for that.

Perth Mint-OK, I’ll admit it, I didn’t actually go to the Perth Mint.  I really wanted to though!  I was going to go with my dad, but we just didn’t make it there.  It was my fault since I was looking for a specific shop, which had moved without telling anyone.  I heard that it was a great experience and it’s really cool!  Based on the good reviews I’ve heard, I would definitely check this out!  Remember, do as I say, not as I do.  Seriously.

Cultural Center: Northbridge-The Cultural Center in Northbridge is really nice.  It’s a nice open area with water features, a nice plaza, and nice places to sit.  Along with these fabulous items, you can also find the Art Gallery of Western Australia, the Western Australia Museum, and the State Library.  The plaza is a great place for large, outdoor art or museum exhibits.  For those of you who watch my YouTube videos, you probably remember the outdoor Earth Above.  This exhibit was really neat; it was a collection of aerial photos from ALL over the world taken over a series of years.  If you want to see some of the pictures, check out the YouTube video!

Miami Bakehouse-If you’re in Perth, check out the Miami Bakehouse.  It’s on Canning Highway in the Palmyra/Melville area.  You can catch the 106 bus from downtown and you’ll pass right by Miami Bakehouse.  It’s really close to Deb and Greg’s house, so I would stop there before going home.  Their Vanilla Slice is award-winning and with very good reason: it’s DELICIOUS!  I highly recommend trying one.  Of course, everything that I tried at Miami Bakehouse was really good!

Salsa Dancing-I dance salsa and I always like to check out the salsa scene in other cities.  So, if you dance too, then you’re in luck!  On Tuesdays you can go to The Mustang and on Thursdays you can head over to The Deen.  Both of these bars are in Northbridge and they’re only a couple blocks away from each other.  At The Deen there’s another little room with a great floor, even though it’s a little slick, if it gets too crowded on the main floor.

Al Dente-If you like Italian food, you’ll love Al Dente!  Once again, just off of Canning Highway in Palmyra, Al Dente has delectable food!  Sergio, the owner, is great and really fun!  It’s a casual restaurant that can also accommodate larger parties.  There’s a small corkage fee if you’d like to bring your own wine, which we did all three times we went!